Ghost of Imladris
by Mirrordance
Summary: The longest night of the year reveals the restless spirits of Rivendell to its visitor Legolas, as he joins Estel and the twin sons of Elrond in their yearly ghost-hunt. Lord Elrond in turn discovers that his boys needn't be outdoors to find trouble
1. Default Chapter

Author: Mirrordance

Title: Ghost of Imladris

Summary: The longest night of the year reveals the restless spirits of Rivendell to its visitor Legolas, as he joins Estel and the twin sons of Elrond in their yearly ghost-hunt.  Lord Elrond in turn discovers that his boys needn't be outdoors for trouble to find them…

* * *

_Greetings, Lord Elrond!_

_      As you well know, the recent passing of my wife has been most difficult to bear for my son Legolas.  After his return from the hospitality of your House some months ago, I noticed he had become somewhat lighter of heart, though his sadness would soon return, torn from the invigorating distractions of your sons, whom he has befriended.  He has since overextended himself upon his duties to protect our borders and I fear for his health and heart.  _

_Therefore I now send him to your care in the guise of a messenger bearing this very 'secret' letter, for he would not be taken from his duties if I told him to do so plainly.  Kindly tell him to await your reply as you compose it.  Take as long as you can, Lord Elrond, a fortnight at least, that he may recover the strength of his body and spirit within your refuge._

_I know you understand my predicament, having wild children of your own.  I am much humbled by your aid and undoubted hospitality.  _

_                                                Sincerely,_

_                                                King Thranduil_

* * *

      _Invigorating distractions, thought Elrond miserably, _How lucky you are, Thranduil, for the things you do not know…__

      ~My father told me to await your reply, Lord Elrond,~ The Prince of Mirkwood told him politely, noticing that he had finished reading the letter, ~I was not told of the contents of the letter, but I hope all is well? You seem rather… troubled.~

      ~All is well, my Prince,~ Elrond assured him, looking upon Legolas with his prying healer's eyes.  Indeed he seemed more drawn than was usual for an elf, his eyes tired and subtly gray-rimmed.  Even in his politeness and steady stance, his agitation and eagerness to spring into action was apparent, but hardly enough to fluid his somewhat stiff movements, as if he were pained.  He wanted desperately to fly, and yet his body seemed to weigh him.  __

_      The boy needs to calm down_, Elrond decided, though he was unsure if this was the best place for such a task, considering Estel, Elladan and Elrohir were due to arrive within the day from their own travels (_i.e. misadventures_).  For some reason, the brothers always made it a point to be home this time of the year, as much as they were able.

      ~But I need to consider my reply most carefully,~ added Elrond.

      ~At your leisure, my lord,~ said Legolas, ~Either way, our horses need resting before we depart for Mirkwood.~

      ~I am certain they will have all the resting that they need,~ said Elrond, ~And so must you.~

      ~I am always comfortable here,~ smiled Legolas tentatively, ~Thank you.  We were served tea, upon our arrival.~

      ~My reply may take longer than you think,~ Elrond told him quickly, ~I will have a room prepared for you.~

      Legolas looked at him in suspicion for a moment, before smothering what to Elrond seemed a more than justified reaction; after all, what could possibly take him so long to write a letter? But the Prince was diplomatic enough, and reared well enough, or possibly plainly told by his father, not to rush Elrond.

      ~Thank you very much, Lord Elrond,~ said Legolas, ~My father and I surely are grateful for your kindness.~

      ~I ask but one thing in return,~ said Elrond, ~I will have my man take you to the House of Healing, before depositing you in your suite.~

      ~I am--~

      Elrond raised a palm up in command of his silence, ~Do not insult my healer's eyes, Legolas.  I care not if 'tis an old injury or if you feel well despite it or some such thing.  Your tongue to me may lie, but not your movements.~

      ~But it is an old injury,~ protested Legolas, ~Treated well, and healing well.  It just needs time, not any further ministrations.~

      ~Do this for me,~ insisted Elrond, ~If not for yourself.~

      ~Of course, my lord,~ Legolas said humbly after a moment.  Then, turning to his silent, brooding elven companion who seemed so bland he melted against the walls in a most forgettable manner, he said, ~Come, Amadis.  I'm sure Lord Elrond has other matters to attend to.~

      The quiet elf barely grumbled polite words of parting to the Lord of Imladris, and trailed the Prince out of Elrond's office.  Elrond watched them leave and glanced skeptically at the tiny note at the end of Thranduil's letter.

* * *

_P.S. _

_I have sent one of my oldest and most dependable soldiers to guard my son.  He is Amadis, and you would find him not only unintrusive, but also unwavering to his duties, even against Legolas' mighty wit and mightier charms.  The boy knows to stir up some trouble, and may Amadis' strength contain it well, for I do not seek to impose upon you further._

* * *

      Legolas inhaled the freshness of the air, a smile touching his lips.  Rivendell was always disarmingly comforting, with its beauty and the very lightness it uncannily gave the heart, despite all of its troubles.

      Despite his earlier disinclination, the trip to the House of Healing had been most beneficial after all, almost as enriching to his body as the sight of Rivendell was to his spirits.  His wounds, from a skirmish with orcs in Mirkwood some days ago, were adroitly re-wrapped, and he was given herbs that muted the sharpness of the pain he had long been suffering.  Such medicine he had agreed to take only after the healer swore upon his name that it would not make him sleep.  These healers, after all, were very cunning, as his previous experiences of Imladris guaranteed.  It wasn't long before he was released to a guest suite on the main wing of the house, the same one had occupied some months ago.

      It was large and luxurious, with a small balcony overlooking the wondrous sights of the land.  About an arm's length away from the rightmost side of his railing was another balcony from the next-door room, which he knew belonged to Estel.  And beside that was the balcony of Elladan, and beside that at the end of the wing was Elrohir's.  All these balconies and suites were empty at this time, to his disappointment, though he has been informed that the three brothers were expected back this night of the Winter Solstice.

      Amadis -- _does he never rest?-- settled himself comfortably upon an ornate wooden bench that was right in front of Legolas' door.  He was seated there when Legolas entered his suite, and there's little doubt that he would still be there hours or possibly even days later, even if he too had been given a room of his own._

      The old elf was perpetually silent and almost as exciting as a plain white wall.  Legolas admired his strength and stability, even as he was all at once irritated that his father found the need to give him a personal guard, after all these centuries that he had been without one.  King Thranduil had realized it was futile to have him so closely guarded since the restrictions only made him more wild.  But recent events have changed his position and Amadis, who had looked after Legolas in his youth, was called to service once again.    

      "I saw your nanny guarding out your door, _sire_."

      Legolas chuckled and turned towards Estel, who was venturing out on the balcony beside his, trailed by Elladan and Elrohir.  Their clothes were dusted by travel, their faces haggard but still seemed to glow with their youth and fire.

      The Prince of Mirkwood leaned against the railing next to theirs and grinned at them gamely.  "I see you are in dire need of one for yourselves."

      Elrohir laughed heartily.  "Welcome back, _mellon.  What brings you to our lands, aside from our irrepressible charm that you _so_ _obviously_ sorely miss?"_

      "My duties have taken me from patrolling our borders to becoming my father's messenger," Legolas replied, "I handed a letter to your father.  I know not what it contains, though the matter seemed rather grave, from what I could read of Lord Elrond's face."

      Elladan waved away his worry.  "They will speak of the matter when it needs speaking.  In the meantime, it seems we are all here, and in this great night of all nights!"

      Legolas looked at the three brothers cautiously.  They all had a look about their eyes that seemed so young and excited.  

      _And manic_…

      "I almost fear to ask why," Legolas said wryly, "I have been told you are almost always home this time of year."

      "It's magical," Estel guaranteed him, "The Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year, and Rivendell yields wondrous surprises with the light of the midnight moon."

      "I could not go too far, mind," Legolas sighed, "I must be prepared to leave at a moment's notice, as soon as Lord Elrond gives me his reply to my father's message.  And the staring gargoyle outside my door would happily tie me to my bed to keep me from mischief."

      "Who said it was mischief?" Estel asked innocently.

      "It never needs any saying," laughed Legolas, "as long as it comes from any of you."

* * *

      ~It's a childhood secret, you see,~ Elrond was saying to their guest over a sumptuous dinner, ~The entire household has decided to stop asking the twins why after a couple thousand years, and only accept with joy that something calls my sons to return here on this very day each year.~

      ~Curious,~ commented Legolas over his food, glancing at Estel with a smile, ~The human seems to have found out, though.~

      Elrond raised an eyebrow at Aragorn, who was chuckling at him, ~Yes.  This son of mine is particularly cunning.  I am not surprised he had successfully outwitted the two.~

      ~I wouldn't say outwit,~ Elrohir corrected quickly, his eyes dancing, ~He is just really very sneaky.~

      ~Did you, by chance, receive an invitation to discover this great secret tonight, Legolas?~ Elrond asked.

      Legolas pursed his lips and lied boldly, shaking his head in regret, ~Unfortunately, no, Lord Elrond, I have not.~

      Elrond's eyes lit in understanding.  ~A shame indeed.  But at least Amadis will sleep restfully tonight.~

      The four elves and sole human turned towards the quiet old soldier, who looked up at them questioningly from his food only for a moment, before busying himself with another helping.

* * *

      ~If you do not stop laughing, he will hear us!~ Aragorn scolded the shaking elf in his lowest voice, even as he himself was failing in suppressing his chuckles miserably.

      ~Back away, back away,~ whispered Legoolas, biting his lip and waving Aragorn off, ~I would run you over if you do not.~

      ~What if you fall?~ retorted Aragorn, ~I would be too far to catch you quickly.~

      ~Elves don't fall,~ Legolas said boldly, steeling himself for the jump from his balcony to Estel's, his only alternative at escape since his loyal guard sat just outside his room.  The gap between the balconies was small for the range of an elf's leap, but the fall to the rocky waters below was also considerable.

      ~No they don't,~ agreed Aragorn, ~But they do not usually laugh at the launch, do they?~

      ~How could I not laugh?~ retorted Legolas, ~I've not had to sneak around in centuries, this is preposterous!~ gritting his teeth, he told Estel, ~Stop looking at me, the laughter in your eyes is contagious.~

      ~I dare not turn away!~ snapped Aragorn, ~What if you fall?~

      ~Quit tarrying!~ whispered Elladan from his own balcony, ~Else we will miss it!~

      As Estel looked towards Elladan, Legolas took his distracted moment to jump to the balcony and land cleanly on his light feet.

      ~Excellent landing,~ he grinned to himself.

      ~Let's hope for another,~ said Aragorn.

      ~Come!~ Elladan called, motioning for Aragorn and Legolas to make the leap to his balcony.

      The night was wonderfully well-lit by the silver of the full moon.  It was larger than it had ever seemed to Legolas' eye, as if it loomed so close to them and hung so low over the skies.  The winds were cool and brought with them the first breaths of winter.  It was a perfect night for childish adventure, one that he had not had since the turning of the world taught him the greater troubles and worries that went with the ages.

      Aragorn, then Legolas, made the easy leap to Elladan's balcony, and then all three took turns towards Elrohir's.

      ~Elrohir never had to jump,~ Elladan sighed melodramatically.

      ~It's just logistics,~ Elrohir said in a lowered voice, ~Anytime you feel you cannot do it, brother, we can change rooms, of course…~

      ~Who said I could not?~ Elladan snapped, ~I was merely making an observation.~

      The three elves and the human stepped into Elrohir's bedroom suite and stopped before his closet doors.  Reaching forward, Elrohir turned the intricate knob and parted his robes to reveal a secret passageway.

      ~Rivendell is riddled by a multitude of such secret passages,~ Aragorn told Legolas, ~There are so many that it is hard to keep track, they lead to all sorts of places.  Some are byways for the servants, others lead towards shelters in case of invasion, others are passageways offering escape, out of the House, deeper into the mountains…~

      ~Imladris is highly fortified,~ added Elladan, ~But father _never_ allows for situations that would leave him backed against a wall.  Our own rooms each have their own passages, but this is the one we are most familiar with.~

      ~We could not find each other the last time we tried separate ways,~ said Elrohir, motioning them all forward, ~Come along.~

      The way was narrow and dark, lined by stone.  Its tight enclosure allowed for no torches that would hamper the already stagnant air, so the four adventurers kept close against each other in the darkness with Elrohir at point, trailed by Aragorn, then Legolas, and lastly Elladan at the tail.

      ~Where does this go?~ Legolas whispered.

      ~You will see,~ Aragorn replied, and the four traveled through the dark winding paths quietly and timelessly.  For awhile they seemed to descend, then turn, then rise, then stand still because Elrohir forgot the way and would not admit it.  And then at last, they stopped before what looked to be a hard wall, Legolas thinking perhaps that Elrohir never really remembered the way as he said he had…

      But there seemed a collective sigh of relief between his companions, and Legolas heard the subtle click of a turning lock.  Then Elrohir pushed at the wall timidly, checking to see if anyone was on the other side.  The dim candlelight from the room they had entered seemed warm and glowingly bright, compared to the stagnant, empty darkness of the passage.

      They had stepped into Rivendell's expansive library, Legolas noted, and it was blessedly empty.

      ~The library,~ he said flatly, wondering what all the necessity of sneaking about and keeping secrets had been if only just to go to such a sedate place, even steeped as it was in its noble, priceless history.

      The brothers said nothing, and quietly made their way to a far corner of the room, stopping in front of an ancient mirror.  Its surface was old and slightly stained, but still glowingly true.  It was about the full-length and width of a burly man, bordered by tarnished copper that was spun in intricate threads.

      Legolas looked at his reflection curiously.  The mirror worked fine, in his eye, there was really nothing spectacular about it.  Opening his mouth to inquire as to what in all of Arda they were doing there, he noticed that the mirror reflected a shadow that suddenly appeared and seemed to walk behind him.

      Turning around to see who was there, he found the library behind him empty, and his acute senses found no sound, no scent, to indicate that anyone had ever been behind him at all.  He turned back towards the mirror, brows furrowed.  The shadow, in the silhouette of a woman, was still there, pacing back and forth from one end of the mirror to the other, humming a haunting tune.

      His three companions stood silent, watching the mirror with their breaths held.

      Suddenly, she stopped.  Turned.  And moved towards the center of the mirror, seemed to move towards _them_, still humming her wordless song, the volume rising and rising as she moved ever nearer, though it was periodically broken by her breath, as if it were labored or perhaps she was crying.

      Legolas' feet were firmly planted on the ground, awed by this vision, the hairs on the back of his neck standing, even as he told himself that he was never really one to fear ghosts, or fear… _anything_! But that song… the song seemed to shatter the silence of the night, and touch his heart in great loss and longing and most strangely, and frighteningly, _familiarity_…

      The reflection on the mirror seemed to tilt as she came closer, and smoke, and swirl in colors that moved and settled, until what was being reflected was no longer the four of them, or the room that they were in.  

      The mirror was reflecting a memory.  

      It showed a sparse bedroom, with a balcony that overlooked the silver of the full moon, much like the moon Legolas had seen tonight.  It showed a woman who, stepping forth from the shadows, had hallowed, sunken holes for eyes, and shattered, moving lips that uttered no intelligible words, only that haunting melody…

      Legolas' breath caught, but his eyes would not flee her disfigured face.  

      The song suddenly ceased, and she began to wail in a way that seemed to come from the very core of her being.  Her mouth opened, showing that her tongue had been cut.  She ran her wiry, spindly, scarred hands over her face, before she screamed in great anguish and ran from the mirror, towards her balcony, towards the moon, and though they could see no more of her, as the sound of her scream faded, undoubtedly she must have run towards her fall and ultimate doom.

* * *

      The mirror melded back to how it had been when Legolas first sighted it, and he exhaled in relief.  He glanced at his companions, who were looking at him knowingly and excitedly.

      ~I heard you,~ chuckled Elrohir, ~You were scared.~

      Legolas' cold hand grasped at his friend's forearm, noting that his own hairs stood, ~And I obviously am not the only one!~

      ~Incredible, isn't it?~ Aragorn told him.

      ~Who was she?~ Legolas asked.

      ~We never found out,~ Elladan replied, ~Elrohir and I first saw her thousands of years ago.  We found the passage in our room that led here, and incidentally, it was midnight of the winter solstice, and we witnessed the mirror replay her death.  She returns with that very scene every year.~

      ~What brings you back each time?~ asked Legolas, ~To see it once is more than enough for me,~ he said, stepping prudently away from the range of the mirror and averting his gaze from it.

      ~You know how it is in youth,~ said Elladan, ~You make promises.  And we feared her so greatly at first sight, that we promised we would discover who she was and how to help her, if she would keep from harming us.  She didn't heed us at all, but we had released our oaths.  We return each year, to see if we have missed anything.  Since then, a greater part of the fear turned to pity, then sympathy.  And undoubtedly, we greatly value the words we make.  A promise must be kept.~

      ~You've asked your father?~ Legolas inquired, ~Surely he must know of her.~

      ~We weren't even supposed to be venturing into the passages all alone, much less in the dead of the night and so we feared his wrath,~ Elrohir answered, ~That's how it began as a secret.  Then I suppose it just continued that way.  Throughout the years we inquired subtly about the ghosts of Imladris, and she fits but one description.~

      ~They found a blind, muted elf-girl in a hunt years and years ago,~ said Elladan, ~Back when even we were young.  She was walking the forests aimlessly.  They tended her as best they could, but her body and mind have long suffered, and she could not be helped.  She ended her life in a winter solstice midnight scores of years ago, with no one ever knowing who she was and however she had come to be in her situation.~

      ~The room there in the mirror,~ Legolas said, ~It looks nothing like this.~

      ~It must have been how the library used to look,~ replied Elrohir, ~Perhaps it used to be a bedroom.  I do not blame them for wanting to change it, after her death.~

      ~It looks more like a room from the House of Healing,~ Legolas commented, ~Sparse.  Utilitarian, not so intricate.  With a similar view.~

      ~What do you think, Elrohir?~ asked Elladan, ~Does it look like that to you?~

      ~It seems logical for her to be in such a place,~ said Elrohir, ~I suppose we could take a look.  I do not pay as much attention to those rooms as I should.  We are often brought to our own rooms when we are injured, and we stay in the House of Healing only if our wounds are grievous, and hence do not really notice much.  It would be wise to look, indeed.~

      ~I was there just this morning,~ Legolas informed them, ~A room in the House of Healing looks just like that.~

      ~You were there this morning?~ Aragorn inquired, raising an eyebrow at the elf's slip.

      ~For trivial purposes, I assure you,~ Legolas said quickly, ~An old injury from days and days ago.  I went not of need or discomfort, but only upon Lord Elrond's insistence.~

      Estel's looked at him knowingly, but said naught else of the matter.  ~Well,~ he said, turning to his brothers, ~We've not had a breakthrough like this in years, don't you think?~

      ~Indeed,~ agreed Elrohir with a smile, ~Did you see anything else that we have not seen before, Elladan?~

      Elladan shook his head.  ~Nay, I did not.  I am beginning to fear we may have already redeemed our word as much as we are able, and it is hardly enough.~

      ~Well there is always next year,~ sighed Elrohir, ~Does anyone want tea?~

* * *

      Elladan, Elrohir, Aragorn and Legolas gamely decided to take the conventional way back to their rooms after tea, the Prince of Mirkwood wanting to keep the valiant and aloof Amadis on his toes.

      ~It's a question of who has control, you see,~ he said, grinning, ~It's a matter of leverage, and pride.~

      Sure enough, they found the elf guard out of his post outside Legolas' door and inside the suite, looking dispassionately into the secret passage inside the cabinets, before he turned his scowl upon the new arrivals.

      ~Lord Elrond would do well to have these doors shut for ever,~ he said darkly, thinking Legolas made his exit from there, ~And I would do well to start sleeping on the same bed with you, Sire, so Eru help me.  Dare you make it necessary for me to do so?~

      Legolas pursed his lips to keep from laughing, ~That will not be necessary, sir.  Your devotion to your duty is truly admirable, though.~

      Amadis' eyes narrowed, knowing he was very much being teased and tested by his impulsive charge, ~Not nearly as admirable as my resolve, I guarantee you.  Do we have an understanding?~

      ~An uncannily clear one,~ Legolas replied lightly, turning to his friends, ~I will see you in the morning.~

      The three brothers shuffled out of the room, ushered out by Amadis, who resumed his post by the door.

      ~You know what they say,~ Elladan chuckled to his companions, ~It only takes for one to be treated like a child for one start acting like one.~

* * *

      Her wordless song seemed to soar over the lands and seas, dancing with the winds as if it belonged all around and all at once always heading elsewhere.  There were promises there, and a calling that was unavoidably entrancing.  It was warm and unfolding, breezy and infinite, hypnotically rhythmic, like the crashing of the waves of the Sea, shifting away from the defiantly setting sun in the horizon.

      The Sea…

      _Must you go so far from the Sea_…

      _Must you go so far from me…?_

      Legolas jerked awake, catching his breath.  Had it been a dream? Had it been a memory?

      Rubbing his hands over his eyes, he glanced warily and with distrust at a glacial mirror that hung on one side of the suite wall.  

      Chuckling at himself nervously, he tried to relax against the pillows of his bed, berating himself for fearing ghosts, even as his heart hammered in remembrance of what he had seen this night.

      Such horrors he was not a stranger to, without a doubt.  But what truly gripped him was what he had _heard_.  

      _I know her song_, he realized, looking at the mirror upon his wall nervously, as if _she_ would spring from there and take him…

      He shuddered at the thought, and pulled the covers closer to his body.  _How embarrassing_, he thought miserably, feeling genuinely afraid.  He knows her song, there is little doubt about that now.  He knew its melody the moment he heard it, and from the deepest recesses of his memory, his dreams now reminded him of the words.  He knew not why he would know it.  Either way, his knowledge made him feel distinctly vulnerable.

      Was she calling to him? But he did not know her, he could not.  He would remember if he did…

      _Who are you_?, he wondered, _And what do you have to do with me_?

      Shaking his head in dismay, he tried to wrest his mind from his troubles and towards sleep.  But each time he drifted, he seemed to return to that mirror in the library, the sight of her hollow eyes, the vision of her scarred, spindly hands, the sound of her song of longing cut by her agonizing scream as she jumped to her death.

      Over and over did it play around in his mind, tormenting him, until he accepted that he would get no sleep _at all_ this night, and decided that if _he_ was not getting any sleep, the cause for his restlessness should not get any either.

      Throwing his covers aside and slipping on a coat over his sleeping clothes, he strode towards his balcony.  Taking a deep breath and glancing at his suite door to guarantee that Amadis was undisturbed, Legolas jumped to Estel's balcony.

      He strode into the suite quietly, to find the human already awakened by his almost imperceptibly light steps and looking at him with curiosity.  Aragorn was lying on his side, blinking at the elf.

      "You could not sleep," Aragorn deduced.

      "We never need much," Legolas said quickly, loathe to admit that his mind was reeling and his heart was hammering in anxiety.

      "You were bothered by her," Aragorn commented, reading between the lines as skillfully as he always had, "I was just as captured the first time, I very much still am.  She still gives me some fear.  You needn't be ashamed about it.  I will tell no one."

      Legolas opened his mouth to deny it, a breath before he decided not to, since the human admitted to his own fears.  He sat on a weathered chair next to Estel's bed, inhaling deeply.

      "'Tis not the fact that she is a ghost that bothers me," Legolas said softly, "At least not as much as the fact that I seem to know her song."

      Aragorn raised himself up to his elbows, "You know her song."

      "I knew the tune the moment I heard it," Legolas confessed, "I said nothing, thinking I may have been mistaken.  But I do not think so anymore.  I know the tune, I know the words, and it is a duet in structure, but more than anything, a calling for a distant love, and a promise to be fulfilled.  Though I know it, I am certain she couldn't be calling to me, I've… um…," he struggled to phrase himself properly, "I've not really made such promises to any body _yet_… But I know her song, and this troubles me.  What does all this mean?"

      "I don't know what it means, _mellon_," said Aragorn, "But it seems Elladan and Elrohir have yet another break, and possibly the great one that they have long been looking for."

To be continued…


	2. part 2

Author: Mirrordance

Title: Ghost of Imladris

Summary: The longest night of the year reveals the restless spirits of Rivendell to its visitor Legolas, as he joins Estel and the twin sons of Elrond in their yearly ghost-hunt.  Lord Elrond in turn discovers that his boys needn't be outdoors for trouble to find them…

PART 2

* * *

      Legolas and Aragorn shot up awake almost at the same instant, just before the door to Estel's suite burst open with Lord Elrond's entrance, and a harassed-looking Amadis in his wake.

      Legolas had fallen asleep the old chair next to Estel's bed, and the sun was now high in the sky.  He seemed just as surprised to find himself there as the Lord of Imladris, his guard and even his friend.  All he recalled of the night before, after he and Estel talked, was that he was loathe to leave, strangely reassured by the human's presence.  He must have drifted to sleep.

      ~Curse your magic doors, Lord Elrond,~ Amadis muttered, sauntering straight for the secret passageway in Aragorn's closet, again mistakenly thinking that his charge must have passed this way.  He narrowed his eyes in irritation over being outwitted yet again, especially when his tracking senses quickly concluded that this was not the path Legolas had taken to enter this room.

      Were there any other passages apart from those in the closets, he wondered.  He looked at his impishly smiling Prince.  He would get no answers there.

      Lord Elrond sighed as he looked at his adopted son and the smirking Mirkwood royal.  There was a lightness about Legolas' demeanor that was a marked improvement from how he had looked when he arrived.  While his revived spirits and glimmering eyes were indeed a treasure, he in turn was rapidly draining the spirits of his aging guardian.  

      ~It would be better for everyone all around, Prince Legolas,~ said Elrond, ~if you would kindly, regularly inform Master Amadis of your whereabouts? He caused a wild ruckus so early in the day.~

      Legolas and Aragorn turned to look at the scowling old elf.  It was almost as scary as the mirror ghost to think of this forbidding elf as _causing a wild ruckus_.

      Aragorn looked at Legolas wryly, wordlessly telling him, _You__ had better behave_.

* * *

      Elrohir read through the words of the song from the piece of paper Legolas had used to write it on.  His hand was curiously careful and cursive, as if he heavily considered every word.  The Prince of Mirkwood absolutely refused to sing it aloud, or even say it aloud, and with due justification.  They needed to study it first.

      Elrohir, Elladan, Estel and Legolas sat around a table in the very library of their previous adventure, pondering their next course of action.  The round table before them was covered in books of Rivendell records, and maps of Middle-earth.

      "One must wonder from where you would know this, Legolas," said Eladan, looking over Elrohir's shoulder, "Curious indeed."

      "Perhaps in childhood," said Legolas, "It eludes my memory.  Must only mean it was very early in my youth.  Either way… she is undoubtedly of Teleri descent.  It is her love for the sea, and 'tis her song.  She might have lived near the Sea.  Perhaps the West, in Lindon."

      "If she does hail from there," said Elladan, "She had come an insanely long way to be found near the forests of Rivendell."

      "Didn't your father hail from Lindon?" Elrohir asked Legolas, "He had come from Lindon to build a kingdom in Mirkwood.  Perhaps she was part of the host that made the move, and was left behind along the way."

      "Nay," said Legolas, shaking his head, "None were left behind that I have ever heard of.  Amadis, incidentally, was of the group that made its way from Lindon to Mirkwood with my father."

      He, the twins and Aragorn looked at the old guard who settled so royally and comfortably upon a corner of the room that he looked as if he had established a kingdom there.  The group did not mind discussing their secret in his presence because not only did they have little choice, he truly couldn't seem to care less.  He didn't even look up at them from the book he was reading.

      "Well?" Legolas pressed, knowing that even if he feigned disinterest, Amadis was always very much aware of everything around him, "Did you lose an elf girl on the way?"

      ~We arrived in the new realm without incident,~ he said neutrally, turning the page of his book and continuing to read it, ignoring the inviting silence.

      Elrohir frowned, "Well she is certainly not of Rivendell, or those who had gone here with my father, for the records would show.  And as you say, not of Mirkwood.  She must have been from Lindon then."

      "That doesn't really say much," pointed out Legolas, "We are all of us practically from there, in one way or another."

      "Undoubtedly," said Aragorn, "She must have run aground some orcs to have been disfigured as she was.  Elves, or even any humans are hardly ever born so."

      "Taken from her home in Lindon, perhaps," said Elladan, "or a traveler, accosted along the way to elven kingdoms such as this, or perhaps Mirkwood or Lorien.  Many perilous ways lie between Lindon and Rivendell where she was found.  Perhaps she was even from the siege of Eregion.  One that our father's host was not able to save and bring here.  Or…"

      "Or a salesman," added Elrohir wryly, "or a witch.  Or a walking tree, for all of these or's, we might as well not have guessed anything at all."

      "Not Eregion, certainly," pointed Legolas, "They are predominantly Noldor—"

      ~I am glad to see,~ said Lord Elrond from the entrance to the library, ~That you are finally taking a more academic interest in our histories.~

      Legolas stood up and looked at him earnestly, wordlessly inquiring if Lord Elrond's reply was done and if he ought to return to his father with the message in haste.

      ~Sit down, Legolas,~ Elrond told him royally, ~I have not finished with my letter.  And are you really in such a hurry to leave?~

      ~Of course not, my lord,~ Legolas said politely, reclaiming his seat and glancing at his friends.  Elrohir was looking at Elladan and then Estel, as if seeking his permission to reveal their secret at last, the price to pay for more information.  His brothers shrugged.

      ~_Ada_,~ said Elrohir tentatively, ~This mirror wasn't always here, was it?~

      Elrond's brows rose, beginning to have an understanding of the situation.  ~I see you have encountered the solstice ghost.~

      ~We wish to discover her identity,~ said Elladan.

      ~With that I myself could not help very much,~ replied Elrond, ~You have been making little queries about her over the years and you know that we never discovered who she was.  Half-mad was she when found, humming an old tune that even I have not ever heard.  Eyes torn and tongue cut, skin scarred by abuse.  There was little hope for her.  And you are correct, the mirror once hung in a room in the House of Healing.  And it is only in these latest years that she has been referred to as the Solstice Ghost because in the years after she died, her ghost replayed her suicide again and again, night after night.  When we moved the mirror, she only returned but once in a year, the midnight of the winter solstice.~

      Elrond's eyes narrowed, ~This wouldn't be the reason why you return home every year, is it? Because if I remember correctly, you have been inquiring subtly about her for centuries, and that first time you'd have seen her would make you very, very young and--~

      ~Oh, _Ada_,~ said Elladan nervously cutting him off, ~It's over and done with and we are more than old enough _now._~

      ~Of course you are,~ Elrond told him indulgently, ~But for your curiosity I beg you to be careful.  Such restless spirits never come in predictable forms and powers.~

      ~We are always careful,~ Elrohir promised him, before the Lord of Imladris left the room, looking at him with suspicion.  Resting in Elrohir's glinting eyes was already a plan.

* * *

      Legolas launched himself towards Estel's balcony, the human already waiting for him there.  This night was not as bright as the previous, but it was still well-lit.

      "This plan doesn't sit very well with me," Legolas told Aragorn as they gathered their breaths for the jump to Elladan's balcony.

      "Understandably so," Aragorn told him, "And if at any time you hesitate to a point where you feel the need to halt this madness, then you must do so.  Because this places you at great risk more than any of us.  Either way, ghosts are ghosts, and they are already dead.  We needn't risk our lives to satisfy our curiosities."

      Legolas looked on ironically as the human launched himself over to Elladan's balcony, risking the deadly fall.  But in Estel he detected more than curiosity.  He felt the human was actually looking after all of them.  If he cannot stop his friends and brothers from their madness, then he would surely join them to try and keep them safe.  Another irony, this wiry human keeping three elves safe.  Well, from the moment he met him, Legolas knew that Estel was unlike anyone had had ever, or would ever meet.

      Landing neatly on his feet, Aragorn waved Legolas over.

      From Elladan's balcony they jumped to Elrohir's, and then walked through the same passage way to the library.  Looking cautiously about, the four stopped in front of the ghostly mirror.

      "Are you certain you are willing to do this?" Elrohir asked Legolas.  It was his plan, but he was now plagued by uncertainty and responsibility, because it put someone else in danger.

      "Yes," said Legolas coolly, "I would tell you otherwise."

      Wordlessly, they took the mirror from the wall, Elladan and Aragorn carrying it from opposite ends.  Scurrying through the lavish grounds of Elrond, they headed single-mindedly towards the House of Healing, Elrohir once again at point, Legolas following.

      They peered into the empty rooms one by one, trying to place which one had a view similar to that which they have seen in the mirror.

      ~This one,~ Elrohir and Legolas said at the same time, stopping before the door.  The other rooms they met with some uncertainty, but this one, which lay least used at the end of the hall had a potent sadness about it that could not be denied.

      "It's almost midnight," Elladan pointed out, as he and Aragorn laid the mirror to rest against a wall, looking about and wondering where they should put it up.

      "Here," Aragorn said, studying the angle of the wall facing a part of the balcony and the moon.

      Legolas and Elrohir picked up the mirror and hung it.  The four looked at the reflection, finding it a strange sensation to be standing in the very scene which had long haunted their childhood only as a passing vision.  It was eerie to look at the ghostly scene in the mirror and find it as a reality also around you, when they had only been witnesses before.

      "Are you sure?" Elrohir asked Legolas again.

      "Yes," said the elf, "we might as well get it done with."

      ~She should be by any moment now,~ Elladan said, ~If it is indeed true as father said, that she replays her death each night when the mirror is here.~

      Legolas' breath caught as he saw the shadow start to pace.  The group fell into silence as her humming sounded, and started to become louder and louder.

      The shadow stopped before the mirror, just as it had the previous night.  And then her figure loomed as it moved closer and closer and closer.

      Gathering his will, Legolas began to sing with her.  His voice seemed to embrace hers, matching note by note, filling in the words that she could not.  Her song was a call, his, a response, even as the melody was one.  

      Breathlessly, the three brothers watched, awaiting any changes in how the story unfolds.  Elrohir thought that if they wanted a breakthrough, they ought to see what she would do if her call was replied to, and Legolas knew precisely how.

      For a moment, the outcome seemed unchanged, she, oblivious.  She stepped forward into the moonlight as she always had, showing her horrid face.

      And then she stopped, as if she was staring at them, although her hollow eyes could not have been able to do so.

      Her spindly hands with their long, thin fingers moved not towards her face, but through the mirror.

      It was pale and crooked in the night, and for a moment Legolas thought it was just an illusion that could not touch him, but he saw its shadow on the floor, and he realized it really was _there_.

      Halting his song, he stepped back, watching the hand move towards him with wide eyes.

      Her own song stopped, and she seemed to be struggling to say something.

      Legolas felt Estel's hand on his arm, pulling him back from the mirror, as the hand drew ever nearer.  The ghost insistently reached forward, her whole arm moving outside of the mirror and into reality, followed by her shoulders, her face…

      The three elves and the human stepped back, watching her in horror.  

      ~Return from where it was that you came,~ Elrohir told her, his voice shaking just slightly, ~This is no longer your time.  Your suffering is long ended.  Let it rest.~

      Not heeding him, forward she moved, towards Legolas.  She struggled to speak, saying things that sounded angry, despairing, longingly at him.  Grief and anger.  Despair, hope.  A wild mix of passions that, either way, she decided only he could answer to. 

      ~You must run,~ Aragorn said to Legolas, pushing the elf behind him, ~Run, Legolas.~

      ~Not without you,~ Legolas whispered.

      ~She does not have a care for the rest of us,~ said Elladan, ~Back away to the door, Legolas.  Please.~

      Taking slow steps backward, Legolas moved away, and this seemed to make her more agitated.  Her voice was louder now, more angry than sad.  She raised both hands towards him.

      Legolas' hand touched the door knob, and he made a step towards the hall.  This seemed to enrage her.  Suddenly, the door flew from him and shut, barely allowing him time to step back into the room and get his hand out of the way.

      He reached for the knob again, but it would not turn.  Steeling himself, he turned to face her…

      Screaming madly, she threw herself at him.  Elrohir in turn threw himself between them, and though she seemed solidly there, she went _through_ him completely in a blast of freezing cold that sent him shivering and witless to the ground.  Unhindered, she went straight towards Legolas, her scraggly hands gripping his face, her thin fingers digging into his flesh, searing cold.

      Weaponless, Aragorn looked towards the mirror, seeing what had happened to Elrohir and knowing there was no physical way that he could stop her, save for this…

      Elladan ran towards his fallen brother, watching in horror as Legolas was straddled to the floor, her fingers digging into his eyes as he struggled and cried out in pain, the sound encased by her mad ranting.

* * *

      Amadis heard the distant sounds of the skirmish and screaming, and he knew at once that his charge had successfully outwitted him again, most likely at his own peril.

      The entire house seemed already astir by the strangling sounds and cackling, freezing air that assaulted the night.

      Turning the knob of his Prince's suite, he found it empty.  Growling in worry and annoyance, he saw that Lord Elrond had just run short of the door, also looking within it.

      ~I should not have been surprised,~ he said, ~My own sons' rooms are empty.  Come.  I may know yet what this is about.~

      The two elves ran past scurrying servants and down a flight of stairs towards the library.  There, Lord Elrond's teeth clenched as he found the mirror taken from the wall.

      ~Those mad fools!~ he exclaimed, his robes rustling as he turned from the library and stalked towards where he thought he may find his sons: the House of Healing, idiotically courting a despairing ghost.

* * *

      Elladan threw himself at the ghost to stop her from attacking Legolas further, only to hit the ground hard, never even feeling her harsh coldness.  He gathered his feet, confused until he turned to try to stop her again, and instead found her gone.

      Glancing deeper into the suite, he found Elrohir shaking on the ground, curled against his side with Estel hovering over him.  Shards of the mirror were around them, its pieces glinting in the silver moonlight; Estel had sent it crashing to the ground, and in his own worries, Elladan had not even heard it. 

      Elladan turned to Legolas, whose shaking hands were covering his face.  His body was trembling in cold, shock and pain.

      ~Come now,~ he said to Legolas soothingly, the healing ways he had gleaned from his father taking over his fears, ~Let me see.~

      Taking a shuddering breath, Legolas let Elladan guide his hands away from his face, and Elladan's jaws set in anger when he saw what had been done to his friend.

      His wide eyes involuntary leaked tears, stained with blood.  The cursed ghost had tried to take his eyes out…

      ~She did not want you to see her,~ Elladan murmured, brushing at the tears gently, and running his palm across Legolas' eyes.  The Prince blinked responsively, and Elladan was relieved that the ghost did not succeed in blinding him.

      However, he was still injured and, like Elrohir, he shivered inconsolably.  Elladan looked up at Aragorn, who was removing his outer robes and covering Elrohir with them.  The human glanced at him, looking worried and regretful.  His own hands were bleeding, and for a moment Elladan knew not why, just before he realized that he mirror had been so heavy it took two of them to carry it, and Estel must have struggled with taking it from the wall and sending it shattering to the ground.

      ~Crude,~ Elladan told Estel quietly, trying to make him smile, ~But still very much effective.~

      From outside the door they heard rushing, and it was immediately followed by harsh pounding.

      ~Elladan, open this door right this instant!~ Elrond demanded, his voice muffled.

      Elladan looked at Estel miserably as he rose from the ground and stepped towards the door, ~Why did he have to name _me_?~

      ~Elladan…~ his father called from beyond impatiently.

      ~Yes, _ada_,~ he sighed, trying to turn the knob but finding it stuck, almost frozen.  He turned it, and pulled at it and twisted it, all to no avail, even as his father was demanding for him to act quickly, and a growl from Amadis prompted him more.

      ~This door is practically wielded shut,~ he called from within, ~I cannot open it short of trying to tear it down.~

      ~Is everybody well in there?~ Elrond asked.

      Elladan glanced at his brother and friend on the ground.  ~Relatively speaking.~

      ~I do not fancy the sound of that,~ he heard Amadis grumble.

* * *

      ~Neither do I,~ Elrond murmured, looking towards his servants, who had gathered outside the door with him, ~Take this door down.~

      They scurried about, not really keen on the brutal style of the orcs and take a battering ram to the heavy, intricate face of the door.  Instead, they went on a quest for tools.  The soldier in Amadis set his jaw and rolled back his eyes in impatience.

      Stalking towards the room next to the one where his wild charge and his friends were locked, he searched for a cabinet, looking for a secret passage that would lead to the next room.

      Lord Elrond trailed him curiously, asking, ~Amadis, what on Earth are you doing?~

      ~I'm looking for a secret passage,~ he answered, ~Like the ones that connected the suites together.~

      Elrond's eyes narrowed, ~Those passages in the suites did not _directly_ connect one room to the other.  They wound around in a most labyrinthine way, leading to all sorts of exits.  You go through one that you find in this room, it may take you at least an hour to get to where you intend to go.~

      Amadis' brows furrowed, ~Then I do not quite know how Legolas could move unhindered in secret…~

      He walked absently to the balcony, his thoughts weighing heavily against him.  He supposed he could just wait for the servants to tinkle with the door until it fell…

      Looking towards his right, he found the balcony to the next room, the room where Legolas was.  The gap between his balcony and that one, deep as it was, was just an arm's length away.

      ~Curse that wicked boy!~ he muttered, putting the pieces together in his mind, even as the child in him saluted the ingenuity, and prepared to replicate it.

      ~Amadis!~ Elrond exclaimed, just as the guard leaped to the next balcony.

* * *

      Amadis landed cleanly on his feet, and he stalked into the room with steely eyes, his heart constricting at the sight before him.

      Shards of a mirror was tossed about, each reflecting the silver of the moon, casting the room in an eerie blue-white light.  One of Elrond's sons lay on the ground shivering, and near the door was his own Prince, trembling and bleeding.

      ~What ails him?~ he asked Elladan and the human darkly.

      ~It is the cold of the ghost that assaulted him,~ Aragorn replied, ~She had also injured his eyes.~

      Amadis fell to his knees next to Legolas, just as Elrond went soaring into the air and landed on the balcony, heading straight towards the fallen Elrohir.

      Muttering as he berated his Prince, Amadis nevertheless gathered him into the warmth of his arms, and rubbed at his freezing hands.

      ~You should not have stirred up old ghosts,~ he said softly, ~They may be restless, but we needn't be restless about them.~

      The room was painfully quiet now, save for the ragged breathing of the two elves, and the subtle tinkering of Elrond's servants from beyond the door, out into the halls.

      Tightening his grip around Legolas, Amadis began to sing… Of the sea, of a lost love, of a promise…

* * *

      ~What are you doing?~ Aragorn whispered harshly, knowing the song well, it belonged to his childhood, and it belonged to a ghost that they all now wished would just rest…

      Amadis, for a moment, seemed to be ignoring him.  He sang, and stopped only when the shards of the mirror started to glint brighter, and shake, making sharp little clattering sounds that seemed to make its way to his bones.

      ~I…~ said the old guard nervously, ~I used to sing to him in his youth.  Not… not always.  It was a game, I know, and his charms might have won me over, but I did not have to let him know it…~ he continued nervously as the shards shook harder, glowed brighter, ~H-he was bitten by a spider in the woods when he was young.  They all said he would d-die, riddled with fever and deep in his delirium, it is this song that seemed to ease him, and lend him comfort…~

      The glowing of the mirror shards suddenly burnt bright it a flash, engulfing the room in a blinding yellow that assaulted their eyes.

      From within it stepped out the ghost of the winter solstice, still humming, eyes still hollow, crooked hands still yearningly looking for something, or _someone_.

      ~Lucia…~ Amadis whispered raggedly, recognizing her immediately, ~Lucia…~

* * *

      The ghost moaned in a most unearthly manner as she moved towards Amadis, the old soldier laying down his charge gently on the ground and rising up to his feet, stepping toward her bravely, and with equal longing.  He looked at her with tears in his eyes, his hands reaching out to touch her.

      ~Do not--~ Elladan was telling him, but shushed when his father looked at him pointedly and shook his head.

      ~What has befallen you?~ Amadis asked her softly, his eyes searching her face, trying to understand her broken words.

      She was achingly making replies that at first made no sense, which was frustrating her as much as it did him.  Her clawing hands reached to touch his face, her tone angry.

      She moved as if she meant to tear out his eyes, and with more sadness than actual fear, Amadis let her touch him.

      ~This is not you, Lucia,~ he whispered hoarsely, weakened by the frigidity of her being.

      Her spindly hands tightened at his face, though suddenly, their pale grayness seemed to meld to a healthy flesh color, the scars dimming and vanishing.  Her mouth began to form broken, intelligible words that soon revealed a soothing, quiet voice.  

      ~You have found me at last,~ was the first thing they had understood from her, and her grip against his face turned more slack, and more warm.

      Her face was suddenly a restored beauty, eyes a distinct color of golden brown from the hollow ones that the twins, Estel and Legolas had known.  Her very skin glowed and warmed the room, warmed the night, warmed the memories that plagued them.

      Amadis had looked at her with love, and this time, his eyes were the mirror that reflected the beauty that he had known.

      ~What happened to you?~ he asked her softly, ~I thought you were to wed.  It is why I left with Thranduil, I could not bear to see you wed to anyone other than me…~

      ~I could not,~ she answered, ~I was going to but I could not.  I tried to follow after you, but I was attacked, and enslaved.  But now here we are, together again at last.~

      ~Lucia,~ Amadis told her achingly, ~It is centuries too late.  I love you, but am not fool enough not to know this…~

      ~I know,~ she said softly, ~But I will see you again.~

      She stepped closer to him, ~As it had before,~ she told him, ~It is in your loving that I am set free…~

      He took her in his arms, and felt her warmth and reality for one sacred breath, before she vanished in a flash of brilliance.

* * *

      Legolas was sitting up in bed, watching Amadis busy himself with settling his injured Prince wordlessly and very efficiently.

      Back in Legolas' bedroom suite, the two of them were alone and quiet, somewhat unsure of what to do with each other, instead falling into careful routine.

      As Amadis gathered the ends of the blanket towards Legolas, the younger elf took the guard's hands and stared at him, until he looked him in the eye.

      ~I am very sorry,~ Legolas said to him, referring to what fate has befallen him and his beloved.

      Amadis set his jaw and nodded, just before he pretended to misunderstand the Prince, ~You will be more sorry if I discover you jumping across that balcony again.~

      Legolas' lips quirked, though he hurriedly composed his expression, and his eyes were dark and serious, ~You know what I mean.~

      Amadis watched the Prince's face, finding determination there and surrendering to it.  Amadis sighed and sat next to Legolas' hip.

      ~She was being courted by myself and a nobler elf,~ Amadis told him, ~It was plain to see where she should have gone.  So I left with your father.  I didn't know she would follow me, and in this journey was she caught and tortured.  It is a shame what fate we were given, yes, but ultimately, it was a love that had no place in this world.  Perhaps in the circles that lie outside of it, as it is now, she and I stand a better chance.~

* * *

      It took Lord Elrond another week to compose his reply to King Thranduil.  He had awaited the scars to fade from Legolas' newly acquired wounds, and for him to rest and recover before finding him fit to be released into the world.

      Although… Lord Elrond did hesitate if he ought to just send the boy away as soon as possible, before he found anymore trouble in Imladris.  Elrond suspected that if anything would befall the Prince of Mirkwood, it would be both his and Amadis' heads in a platter.

* * *

_Greetings, King Thranduil!_

_      I could now confidently vouch for the good health and revived spirits of your son, and return him much recovered into your care._

_      I must admit that in this trip, young Legolas was not able to keep the world still, and managed to find one of Rivendell's ghosts.  He, with my sons and your faithful Amadis, effectively released it from its despair and no more could be said of this matter, nor does it beg for any further action._

_      Your son has a wild passion about him that is repelled by my logic and all at once envied by my heart.  He is much like my own children in this respect and though they do know to 'stir up trouble' as you had said, and as I well know from past and latest experience, they have a fine way of stirring up the right ones, and rectifying the situation most properly and in ways that deserve great praise._

_      With this in mind, I would like to extend an open invitation to Rivendell addressed to your impulsive heir, as I am certain that my children would always be happy to receive him, as I undoubtedly am (which I realize only after I have caught my breath and all they have stirred up rests once again)._

_      Between the four of them, I have a feeling our children are set to turn the world upside down, and only then would we all come to realize it is how things should be after all.  They are such giftedly mad fools, and all the Valar help them and all who stand in their way for it._

_                                                      Sincerely,_

_                                                      Lord Elrond       _

_P.S.___

_      If I may be permitted to say, I believe that after your son's vacation, it is your faithful Amadis who is now in dire need of one.  The doors of my Home are also very much always open to a man of such admirable…restraint._

THE END

October 27, 2003

SOME IMPORTANT NOTES:

On the plot.  An ancient mirror, a ghost and childish adventure.  I suppose what inspired me to write this piece is the coming of the Halloween season, even as the story is set in December (when the Winter Solstice happens).  I hope it fits your holiday mood :)

On the style.  I've recently been reading a critique of Tolkien's books, and it was distinctly said that all that he shows and adds to the story has a purpose.  I too wanted all the elements of my story to tie together in that way.  I don't know if I had achieved it, but I certainly made it a point to try.  For instance:

      On the idea of the Winter Solstice.  The longest night of the year, the shortest day.  Older cultures celebrated it and it was generally believed that the night was so long people feared the sun would never rise.  This is why I made it such that Lucia takes her life on the Winter Solstice; she feared the sun would never rise, she had lost her hope.  Her name, however, came from I think the Latin root for 'light,' and this is the visual image that had followed her at the end of the story.

      On Amadis.  His name comes from a piece of Spanish literature depicting a brave knight.  You might have noticed that a recurring theme for Amadis throughout the fic is that he is often forgotten.  Always quiet and on the outskirts, always at the P.S. of a letter.  This is precisely how he fits into the story; forgotten, but a pivotal part of it towards the end.

On the timeline with my other fics.  For those who have read my piece "Allies," which is an account of how Legolas and Aragorn met, you may have guessed that this piece follows it.  "Allies" was originally meant to be the first of a trilogy: how they met, then a sequel telling of the challenges along their friendship, and then how they part—which was supposed to be my fic "Journey's End."  But ultimately, I decided to make "Journey's End" a story all on it's own (its style is very different from Allies), and anyway I pretty much have a habit of making sequels or prequels that are independent of my other stories, so it is convenient for readers who do not feel like searching for the other stuff, at the same time satisfying those who had enjoyed the kind-of timeline that has already been created.  Needless to say, a story following "Ghost of Imladris" will follow very soon.  I already have the basic storyline.

On the Tolkien timeline.  I have fallen in love with Tolkien's literature and the idea of investigating a ghost through the history of Middle-Earth is one that I could not resist, hence the scene in the library with a smattering of the history of the Elves in Arda.

On the characters.  Once again, I used the perception of the other characters as an avenue to express my own opinions.  For instance:

      Legolas.  As in all my other fics, I am obviously fascinated by him and I wanted him to be a mix of the book version and the movie version.  The Legolas you see here is strong, intelligent and charming.  He also has a wild streak that Elrond, Thranduil and Amadis speak of.  I liked the idea of pairing up this fiery character with an painfully bland guardian.

      Aragorn.  He is not as visible in this fic as I regularly make him out to be, but as I usually depict him, he is strong and 'like a rock.'  Always dependable.  Always stable and responsible, and a reassuring presence.  His bond with Legolas is subtler here than in most of my other pieces, but it is still definitely very consciously placed there.

      On the twins.  It is only recently that I've truly come to appreciate them; my earliest stories did not feature them at all.  But I think the dynamic of their relationship with Estel has a lot of potential, and could not resist on playing with it :) I'm not quite sure if you can detect a distinctiveness between how I depict them, but in this piece I think I made out Elrohir to be more crafty.  It was he with all the ideas, for instance, and it was he who tried to save Legolas when his idea backfired.  I am awaiting to see them in the movie so I have a broader base, though :)

      On Elrond and Thranduil.  The overburdened father's club is how I have learned to refer to them in my mind.  Their characters in this story I depicted very briefly through the letters.  I like showing them as wise and outwardly stern, but also with a lot of heart.  I try to imagine a profoundly worried and frustrated parent who cannot put a leash to their children, but in the end sigh and find with great relief that their children managed to survive, and consternation that they turned out to be right.

To Platy.  I do try to listen, I do! :) It's just that I always think of myself as a reader first (and an extremely impatient one) so I post in quick succession, as if I were the one who was awaiting what would happen! Oh well! :)

Anyway, I hope it was a fun piece, as it was really meant to be.  C&C's always welcome! :)


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